Case Number 26305: Small Claims Court

SCOOBY-DOO! 13 SPOOKY TALES: RUH-ROH ROBOT!

The Charge

I think "Scrap" is the optimal word in the name Scrappy-Doo.

The Case

After watching the bulk of Scooby-Doo! 13 Spooky Tales: Ruh-Roh
Robot!, no can say I don't love my children. Love is the only reason I could
possibly sit through 11 vintage Scooby-Doo episodes that featured Scrappy-Doo
and not gouge my eyes out. Sure, each time that little twit yelled "Puppy
Power!!!" I died a thousand deaths, but I love my kids and they're worth
it...right? Whose bright idea was it anyway to add this character to the
Scooby-verse? Probably the same genius who thought Happy Days needed
Chachi and The Brady Bunch needed Cousin Oliver; they just couldn't leave
well enough alone.

We all know Scrappy is the creation of the devil, meant to bring sorrow and
misery to the planet for all eternity. So imagine Warner Bros. releasing
Scooby-Doo! 13 Spooky Tales: Ruh-Roh Robot! conveniently forgetting to
mention on the cover that Scrappy-Doo is featured prominently in 138 minutes of
the disc's 163 min runtime. Honestly, I don't blame them for omitting this
detail, but picture sitting down to view one of your favorite cartoons and
seeing this abomination -- a character who never should've existed -- parading
around diminishing all those wonderful childhood memories.

Most of the Scrappy episodes are from the various incarnations of the late
1970s / early '80s Scooby franchise, the main source of which is The New
Scooby-Doo Mysteries, which only lasted one season for reasons that are
blatantly obvious. With inferior animation and painful plots, it's as close to a
shockingly painful experience as one can get without anyone inflicting actual
physical pain. And even though the original series Scooby-Doo, Where Are
You! wasn't exactly intellectual viewing, it was fun and the colorful
Mystery Machine gang were a lovable bunch.

Each of these episodes are preceded by the opening credit sequence from the
original series in which it appeared in. The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries
features a theme that's just as bad as the Scrappy-Doo episodes that were
spawned by it. This is an absolute assault on the ears, a watered down R&B
sound with Shaggy singing lead. Try as he might, Casey Kasem just isn't soulful
enough to pull it off.

The best installments on this release are the first two: "Scooby-Doo! Mecha
Mutt Menace," an all-new caper reminiscent of the newer direct-to-DVD movies
like Big Top Scooby-Doo! and Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright, and "Foul
Play in Funland" from Season One of the original 1969 series. I found myself
laughing more than a grown woman probably should.

Everything else on this DVD is littered with Scrappy, and unless you enjoy
the nasally twang and douchiness of Lennie Weinrib's midget mutt, I suggest you
look at some other hundreds of Scooby-Doo collections available for rental or
purchase.

The vintage episodes are presented in 1.33:1 standard def full frame, but
"Mecha Mutt" is a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen viewing experience. The Dolby 2.0
Stereo track is what you expect from a typical Saturday morning cartoons, which
is just fine. Of course, Warner Bros. didn't bother with any extras, they simply
released this thing before word got out that Scrappy-Doo is everywhere here.

The Verdict

I still love Scooby-Doo, but this ain't worth buying for only two decent
episodes. Guilty!